Chapter 190: The Bond Between the Living and the Dead

The whole underground jail facility was heavily guarded, and infiltration would have been an impossible task for an average person. But Yang Ling was able to teleport deep into the facility instantly, using his Earth Evasion Technique. All it cost was a portion of his Wizard Power and mental energy.

The heavily armored warriors guarding the door were oblivious to Yang Ling’s presence. Even the Spellcaster that was almost at the level of Magical Tutor only felt a faint ripple in the air. He decided he must have imagined it, after checking his surroundings carefully.

The air in the underground jail facility was turbid, and visibility was low. Other than the sounds of the prisoners snoring, there were also intermittent cries of pain and pathetic moans. There were many people squeezed into each cell, some badly injured and writhing in pain, while others ignored the commotion and continued to sleep.

Are these warriors of the arena or imprisoned felons?

Yang Ling was deeply disturbed by the sight of the wounded arena warriors, writhing on the filthy floor. He moved quickly toward the deeper parts of the facility, closer still to Ashnamov. If Yuna’s senses were correct, they would find him in the very last cell.

The facility was split into a dozen or so sections using heavy steel bars, perhaps to at least create the illusion of additional impenetrability. Guards were posted at every section entrance. But it was late at night, and many of the guards snoozed away, even though they were on duty. Yang Ling slipped past them with no trouble. Finally, he found Ashnamov, resting quietly against the wall of his cell.

“Who are you?” asked Ashnamov quizzically, more alert than before already. He had come to his senses with a man all dressed in black before him, and despite his face being covered in blood, the Beastman’s gaze remained sharp and soulful.

Yang Ling smiled slightly. “You need not be nervous,” he said. “Lower your voice, lest you alert the soldiers guarding this place!” Seeing Ashnamov fully on guard, Yang Ling took a few steps back and summoned Yuna with a flick of his hand.

“Oh, a Space Spellcaster?” Ashnamov was even more surprised when he saw Yuna suddenly appear before his eyes. He had been sure that Yang Ling was an assassin, come to kill him at last. He did not expect Yang Ling to be a powerful Space Spellcaster. He said nothing.

After looking at the soldiers who were still sleeping like Sharo Boars, Yuna whispered, “I am a Heavenly Fox. I am curious, why do you carry the Soul Ripples of my clansmen?”

Taking precaution for the sleeping soldiers suddenly waking up, Yuna got straight to the point. Now that she was so close to Ashnamov, she could clearly feel the Soul Ripples of her clansmen. That abnormal feeling also became more obvious.

Looking at Yuna, who was dressed all in black, and taking in the sight of the little fox tail protruding from her rear, Ashnamov suddenly beamed with excitement. He took a deep breath, and began explaining in a rushed whisper.

As it turned out, he had traveled out to train when he was eighteen and had accidentally encountered a young Heavenly Fox lady named Sylvia. The two fell in love at first sight and married soon after. After the marriage, he joined the Rossi Empire navy in consideration for the long term interests of his tribe of Galapagos Tortoisemen. With his exceptional fighting capabilities and tactics, he got promoted to the rank of grand admiral of the Rossi Empire’s naval force, thanks to his war contributions.

Sylvia had not talked about her family, before or after the marriage. Seeing that she was unwilling to speak about it, Ashnamov had not pressed her. All he knew was that she was a Beastman and a rarely seen Heavenly Fox, and that her family lived in a glacier tens of thousands of miles away.

“Sylvia once said that we would go visit her family on the glacier when we had a child someday, but I did not expect that…” Ashnamov’s eyes turned red as he clenched his fists tightly. “When she was alive, Sylvia said that a Heavenly Fox could sense the souls of her brethren and could detect their clansmen if they were nearby. Unfortunately, you have come too late!”

Ashnamov had uncorrectly assumed that Yuna, being a Heavenly Fox, must have been from the same clan as his wife, Sylvia. He remembered too clearly that he had not been able to protect the person he loved most, despite being called the greatest warrior in all the Rossi Empire. His eyes burned bright with fury. The only thing that kept him alive in the squalid and oppressive environment of the arena was the hope of escaping someday and taking revenge on the earl.

Yuna wiped the tears from her face, and frowned intently. “It is strange, though. If Sylvia is dead, I shouldn’t be able to sense her Soul Ripples. But I can feel my clansmen’s mark clearly. What could be happening?” She could not understand what was going on.

“Sylvia has met with misfortune in the eyes of others, but she is forever alive in my heart!” Ashnamov carefully removed the necklace he hung on his neck, and continued, “This is something my grandmother left me. There is a small magical space inside it. After I sealed Sylvia’s body inside the necklace, I frequently dreamed of her voice and smile, and that we are blissfully living together. We would hunt together, head to sea together…”

Holding the necklace that held his precious Slyvia, and recalling the times unwinding with her by the sea, remembering her faint fragrance, tears filled Ashnamov’s eyes. Yuna could not help but shed a tear.

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Wait. Magical space?

After wiping the tears from her face once again, and gently taking the necklace from Ashnamov’s hands, Yuna began to remember an ancient legend.

There was an ancient legend that passed down the generations in the tribe of Heavenly Foxes. After lovers who had deep feelings for each other lived together for many years, their souls would intertwine. If one party met with misfortune, the soul of the other would gather by their side. As long as they could find a way to seal the soul of the person that met with misfortune, they would be able to find a way to revive their deceased lover.

Yuna’s excitement grew as she studied the necklace and felt the familiar energetic ripples emanating from within it. There was only one explanation for the situation at hand: when Ashnamov had sealed Sylvia’s body inside the necklace, he had inadvertently sealed her soul in, as well.

In other words, thought Yuna excitedly, Sylvia was not truly dead. As long as they could bring her soul into a sea of thoughts, there was a possibility that she could be revived just like the legends had said.

Elated beyond the ability to keep her discovery to herself, Yuna whispered her suspicions to the two men. Ashnamov nearly shouted in excitement. If not for Yang Ling’s quick reactions and suppressing Ashnamov’s urge, they might have alerted the soldiers.

Once he had calmed a little bit, Ashnamov looked down at his chains, and became dejected. He thrust the necklace at Yuna, and said “Please bring this necklace back to the tribe of Heavenly Foxes, and get your elders to revive my darling Sylvia!”

Ashnamov had no hope of escape. The underground jail facility was heavily guarded. Between his shackles and his injuries, there was simply no way he would be able to escape and complete the task himself. The only hope for Sylvia’s revival lay in Yang Ling, who was backing Yuna. In his heart, as a powerful Space Spellcaster, Yang Ling would be able to escape this place. Surely if he was able to enter without detection, he could leave the same way.

Yuna shook her head in frustration. The Tailun Continent was almost impossibly vast. How would she ever find Sylvia’s clansmen? Most of the other Heavenly Foxes had long since moved abroad through the Magical Teleportation Spell Formation in Taildon Valley. And since that Magical Teleportation Spell Formation could no longer be activated, how was she going to find any elder to revive Sylvia?

Furthermore, the revival was a legend passed down through the generations. No one knew if it was actually possible. Even if she managed to find Sylvia’s clansmen on the Tailun Continent by sheer luck, it was still uncertain if they could indeed revive Sylvia. Yuna had wanted to speak this truth, but could not bring herself to break Ashnamov’s only hope.

The most painful thing in the world was being unable to get the things one wanted, but to lose it after obtaining it!

If a poor commoner, working in the city, won a five million dollar jackpot, and began living the life of a rich person, then became a pauper again overnight, it would hurt much more than for a person who was never delivered from poverty in the first place. Love followed the same logic. Only by obtaining it and then losing it could one feel that suffocating pain that came straight from the soul!

Yang Ling understood both Ashnamov’s pain and Yuna’s frustration. He deliberated for a moment and then said, “I do not know how the Heavenly Foxes revive their clansmen, but I have a mysterious Soul Summoning Technique that was passed down to me by my family. As long as the corpse of the dead is preserved and the soul has not scattered, there is a high possibility that I would be able to revive her!”

According to the explanation on the stele, he would be able to grasp Soul Tampering Techniques and begin to learn ways that could control the soul when he reached the level of Heaven Wizard. When he broke through the plateau and reached the level of Divine Wizard, he would not only be able to create Demon Hunting Cards and quickly tame many Magical Beasts, he would also be able to grasp the Soul Summoning Technique and revive Magical Beasts that died on the battlefield.

If he could revive the Magical Beasts that lost their lives within a large area, he would naturally have the ability to revive Sylvia’s soul, since it had not yet scattered. He did not know when he would be able to reach the level of Divine Wizard, but Yang Ling believed that he would one day be able to grasp the mysterious Soul Summoning Technique and revive Sylvia.

Yuna became incredibly excited. Ashnamov knelt on the ground, pleading with him to revive Sylvia.

As the most exceptional Galapagos Tortoise Warrior in the history of his tribe, Ashnamov could sense that Yang Ling’s body was filled with a mysterious energy, his abilities deep beyond comprehension, and that he was not just a simple, powerful Space Spellcaster. Even though he had never heard of the Soul Summoning Technique, he believed that Yang Ling would be able to revive Sylvia since he had said it himself.

After propping Ashnamov, who was as strong as a Siberian Rhinoceros, Yang Ling shook his head as he looked at the dark cell, then at the soldiers guarding the facility far away, “The Soul Summoning Technique requires me to spend a lot of both mental and magical energy, and more importantly, I need an absolutely safe and quiet space. Let’s go, and consider the next step of our plan after we leave this horrible place.”

Even though the guards were still sleeping soundly, Yang Ling did not wish to stay for too long.

Ashnamov’s limbs were bound by heavy magical shackles that could not be unlocked without the corresponding key. An average person might not be able to bring Ashnamov out, who had difficulty moving, even if they had the ability to sneak in without being noticed. But it was not a difficult task for Yang Ling. If he could transport a large number of Bloodthirsty Ants into the space of the Wizard’s Pagoda, he could secret Ashnamov away into the space too!